# Astra 1E

> communications satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q750250](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q750250)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astra_1E)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/astra-1e

## Summary
Astra 1E is a communications satellite launched on 1995-10-19 into geostationary orbit. It was delivered by an Ariane 42L rocket from the ELA-2 launch complex and is identified by COSPAR ID 1995-055A and satellite catalog number 23686.

## Key Facts
- Astra 1E is an instance of a communications satellite (an artificial satellite designed for telecommunications).
- Launch date: 1995-10-19.
- Launch vehicle: Ariane 42L.
- Launch site / start point: ELA-2.
- Orbit type / satellite_of: geostationary orbit.
- COSPAR ID: 1995-055A.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 23686.
- Freebase ID: /m/04n7gkz.
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "23686"].

## FAQs
### Q: What is Astra 1E?
A: Astra 1E is a communications satellite, an artificial satellite designed for telecommunications. It was launched into geostationary orbit on 1995-10-19.

### Q: When and how was Astra 1E launched?
A: Astra 1E was launched on 1995-10-19 by an Ariane 42L rocket from the ELA-2 launch complex.

### Q: What are the standard identifiers for Astra 1E?
A: Astra 1E's COSPAR ID is 1995-055A and its Satellite Catalog Number is 23686. It is also represented by Freebase ID /m/04n7gkz and Wolfram entity code Entity["Satellite", "23686"].

## Why It Matters
Astra 1E is part of the class of artificial satellites whose primary purpose is telecommunications. Communications satellites placed in geostationary orbit provide a fixed orbital position relative to the Earth's surface, which is important for continuous broadcast and relay services that require stable pointing and long-term coverage from a single orbital slot. Being launched by a heavy-lift vehicle (Ariane 42L) from the ELA-2 complex on 1995-10-19 places Astra 1E within the mid-1990s era of geostationary communications deployments. Its formal identifiers (COSPAR ID 1995-055A and SCN 23686) allow unambiguous cataloging and tracking in international satellite registries and technical databases. These properties make Astra 1E a verifiable element of the global communications-satellite infrastructure deployed during that time.

## Notable For
- Launch on 1995-10-19 by an Ariane 42L rocket from ELA-2.
- Placement into geostationary orbit, enabling a fixed orbital position for communications use.
- Official identifiers: COSPAR ID 1995-055A and Satellite Catalog Number 23686.
- Listed in technical databases (Freebase ID /m/04n7gkz and Wolfram entity code Entity["Satellite","23686"]).

## Body
### Classification
- Instance of: communications satellite.
- Class definition (related): an artificial satellite designed for telecommunications.

### Identifiers and database entries
- COSPAR ID: 1995-055A.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 23686.
- Freebase ID: /m/04n7gkz.
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "23686"].
- Wikipedia title: Astra 1E.
- Wikidata description: communications satellite.

### Launch details
- Launch date (point in time): 1995-10-19.
- Launch vehicle: Ariane 42L.
- Launch complex / start point: ELA-2.
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch from ELA-2 on 1995-10-19.

### Orbit and mission context
- Recorded as a satellite_of: geostationary orbit.
- Role: communications satellite (telecommunications purpose implied by class).

### Cross-references and disambiguation
- Alias names: Astra 1E; Астра 1E (спутник).
- Noted as different from the general term "Astra" (distinct entry/reference).
- Available Wikipedia language pages: de, en, hu, pl, pt, ru, uk.

### Source metadata
- Sitlink count (Wikipedia): 7.
- Structured data references include entries from mission/launch records and data registries associated with the satellite identifiers above.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013